My own space to vent out and share my own personal thoughts, quotes, a place to socialize, a way to see some of the wrong or good thing in society, a place to give a free rein to myself. I may be in words inexpressive, but words say a lot on my blog.

Tuesday, 13 December 2016

In conversation with Shikha
Kumar, who's latest book 'Logically Stupid that's Love' is winning hearts and
applauds all over.

Questionnaire with Shikha
Kumar

Can you tell us a little about yourself? Your profession and
your hobbies

Professionally I'm
an IT Manager, who's life is all about projects and timelines, My books are a
mixed blend of entertainment and emotions. I am also a relationship expert and
regular columnist with various websites. I love to travel and is movie-buff at
heart.Being an author is my creative side. When I first wrote, it wasn't the
plan of life, but now it's plan for life. People may have their own ways of
meditating and seeking peace, for me, it's writing at least few words a day if
not a page.

1. How did you first get involved in with writing, are you an
imaginative person?

As I always say,
I'm an accidental author. So with no background in publishing, the first book
just happened out of my love for good stories. Yes, I'm very imaginative,
romantic and witty, so are my books.

32.What do you find most challenging about your writing?

My books have made
their mark for entertaining conversations amongst lead protagonist. I too agree
that's my USP, and that's what drives the story and generates interest. So for
me, that is where maximum efforts lie. To make the exchange of words as crisper
and engaging as possible, so that book reaches readers hearts.

43.What do you do when you are not writing?

I'm constantly
writing for many websites, and then I have a full-time job too. Then there's
family around which my world revolves. So, long story short, I'm never sitting
idle. In fact, my daily routine is pretty insane, but I don't think I was
created for sanity anyway, so it's okay :)

4.Where do you see yourself in the next 6 months, and 5 years
down the road?

Reaching more
bookshelves, winning more hearts. Being a scriptwriter maybe. I'm already an
Editor-in-Chief. So enjoying the stride of life and letting it take me by
astonishment.

6 5. How do you keep coming up with material / content for your
story?

My stories are
always 'What-If' version of what I see around. I look through a normal
situation with my creative rather mischievous lenses, and that is how I create
my plots.

As far as my
characters go, they are and never will be perfect. My stories will always be
real and character believable, so being flawed is natural.

76. Any specific tips you have for new writers who want to make
it big in the world of published books?

Don't succumb to
marketing trend or forced intimate content. Just focus on a good story and of
course, a sound marketing plan. Respect all reviews equally and never get
demotivated with either rejection or negative feedback. Not all audience is
alike, so it's alright to have varied reviews.

87. What’s the best thing a writer can give to his readers?

9.Value
for their time more than money. When you watch a movie, you spend quality time
with loved ones at least, even if a film turns out to be a disaster. But a book
is an individual's Me-time, so it's even more important to embrace a good book.
So a book in the genre they cherish at an affordable price is the best gift to
a reader from the author.

8.A lot of people are interested in writing for the money
earning potential. What are some tips for people interesting in making money
from writing? What are some realistic expectations in regards to what can be
made?

Well, to be
honest, it's more of investment in initial years. Very few have struck gold in
their maiden book, most sail through hardship to reach a decent stage. So don't
expect anything stupendous to begin with. If you happen to make it big in the
first attempt, consider that as a fortunate surprise and not minimal
expectation benchmark.

19.What motivates you most in life?

I'm in an
auto-pilot mode for motivation. My life, particularly my hands are so full
always that I don't have to look beyond my little blue planet to push myself
up. I don't intend to sound self-pompous but with time I've found ways to
filter our negativity and cherrypick positivity in all situations.

110.The majority of the readers tend to take sides due religion
and such other considerations.

Well, I believe
genre should be only criteria for readers to take sides. Not even favorite
authors. A genuine reader should give every good book it's due and unbiased
consideration. So religion shouldn't even be in remote proximity while picking
a book.

111.What is the story behind the name of your book?

Since its
inception, I knew I'm writing about a tale of heart v/s brain. It's not
war-of-sexes and not even collision of two different worlds; it's a tussle
between two most crucial elements of our existence that resides within us. So,
Kartik was Logic and Sahana was Love. So after some deliberation, 'Logically
Stupid that's Love' was arrived as an apt title for this today's generation
love-story that never values what comes easy to them.

1 12.What are your views on increasing plagiarism?

It's very
disheartening to know indeed. If you don't have a story to tell to the world
then better not write rather than disgracing the profession. So, please don't
make it money-making business, it's primarily a creative task. Being inspired
is okay but not shamelessly repeating someone's original content.

Tuesday, 6 December 2016

In some ways the gold diggers' rampant materialism
was understandable, since they were living at a time of great poverty, and for
many of them gold digging seemed to offer an escape from starvation. But most
of us in the country today, industrialized world don't have that excuse.
Our appetite for wealth
and material goods isn't driven by hardship, but by our own inner discontent.
We're convinced that we can buy our way to happiness, that wealth is
the path to permanent fulfilment and well-being. We still measure ‘success' in
terms of the quality and price of the material goods we can buy, or in the size
of our salaries.

Our mad materialism would be more forgivable if
there was evidence that material goods and wealth do lead to happiness. But all
the evidence fails to show this. Study after study by the psychologists it has
shown that there is no association between wealth and happiness. The only exemption
is in cases of real poverty, when extra income does relieve suffering and brings
sanctuary. But once our basic material needs are satisfied, our level of income
makes little difference to our level of happiness. Research has shown that, for
example, that extremely rich people such as billionaires are not significantly
happier than people with an average income, and suffer from higher levels of depression. Researchers
in positive psychology have
concluded that true well-being does not come from wealth but from other factors
such as good relationships, meaningful and challenging jobs or hobbies, and a sagacity
of connection to something bigger than ourselves (such as a religion, a political or
social cause, or a sense of mission).

Explanations for Materialism

Many economists and politicians believe that materialism
- the desire to buy and possess things - is natural to human beings. This seems
to make sense in terms since natural resources are limited, human beings have
to compete over them, and try to claim as large a part of them as possible.

One of the problems with this is that there is
actually nothing ‘natural' about the desire to mount up wealth. In fact, this
desire would have been disastrous for earlier human beings. For the vast
majority of our time on this planet, human beings have lived as
hunter-gatherers - small tribes who would usually move to a different site
every few months. As we can see from modern hunter-gatherers, this way of life
has to be non-materialistic, because people can't afford to be weighed down
with unnecessary goods. Since they moved every few months, unnecessary goods
would simply be a hindrance to them, making it more difficult for them to move.

Another thing is that the restlessness and constant
wanting which fuels our materialism is a kind of evolutionary mechanism which
keeps us in a state of alertness. Dissatisfaction keeps living beings on the
look out for ways of improving their chances of survival; if they were
satisfied they wouldn't be alert, and other creatures would take the advantage.

In my view, acquisitiveness is best understood in
psychological terms. Our mad materialism is partly a reaction to inner
discontent. As human beings' it's normally for us to experience an underlying
‘psychological discord', caused by the incessant chattering of our minds, which
creates a disturbance inside us, and often triggers negative thoughts.

We look to external things to try to alleviate our
inner discontent. Materialism certainly can give us a kind of happiness - the
temporary thrill of buying something new, and the ego-inflating thrill of
owning it afterwards. And we use this kind of happiness to try to override - or
compensate for - the fundamental unhappiness inside us.

In addition, our desire for wealth is a reaction to
the sense of lack and vulnerability generated by our sense of separation. This
generates a desire to makes ourselves more whole, more significant and
powerful. We try to ‘bolster' our fragile egos and make ourselves feel more
complete by accumulating wealth and possessions.

It doesn't work, of course - or at least, it only
works for a very short time. The happiness of buying or owning a new item
rarely lasts longer than a couple of days. The sense of ego-inflation generated
by wealth or expensive possessions can be more enduring, but it's very fragile
too. It depends on comparing yourself to other people who aren't as well off as
you, and evaporates if you compare yourself to someone who is wealthier than
you. And no matter how much we try to complete or bolster our ego, our inner
discontent and incompleteness always re-emerges, generating new desires. No
matter how much we get, it's never enough. As Buddhism teaches, desires are
inexhaustible. The satisfaction of one desire just creates new desires, like a
cell multiplying. The only real way of alleviating this psychological discord
is not by trying to escape it, but by trying to heal it.